Got 5 Minutes? Spend It Wisely With Winter Session...

by Dray Walk

Based in Denver, Colorado, everything Winter Session do is handcrafted, skilled and well thought-out.

Since 2010, husband and wife team Roy Katz and Tanya Fleisher have been focused on designing and manufacturing durable, functional and aesthetically pleasing products. If you've not already heard of them, Winter Session specialise in carry goods made of canvas and leather.

They're refreshingly aware of their sourcing methods, something hard to find in this day and age. Winter Session harness some of the only remaining American locations in order to get their materials. For instance, the leather they use for bag handles and shoulder straps comes from Hermann Oak in St. Louis. All the leather for their wallets is from Horween Leather Co. in Chicago. The Horween Leather Co. is one of the oldest tanneries in America (and the only one left in Chicago!), which is a testament and a half to their quality. Winter Session also ensure that their canvas is 100% cotton, then go on to treat the bags and backpacks with a light, water-resistant coating.

A Winter Session product is something you can develop a long-lasting relationship with.

This switched-on brand promotes design which helps 'increase productivity and peace of mind' for each customer. This stems from their Japanese & Scandinavian design inspiration, developing the products to fit around your lifestyle. In turn, this is said to help you think clearer and work better. Simple, yet effective. It's this design ethos which separates Winter Session from so many others. It's only the tip of the iceberg too, the more you find out about them, the more you find yourself liking them.

'increase productivity and peace of mind'

Not only this, but it's clear that so much of their success comes from their consideration of their customer's lifestyles. Inspired by the way their staff live their lives, they focus on designing products that can be adapted to both urban and outdoor environments. It's this high level of consideration which they adopt into every aspect of their process, that makes Winter Session stand out in the best way possible.

The Winter Session design standard consists of a combination of functionality, durability, and a 'refined utilitarian aesthetic'. Something worth your attention is their continued emphasis on simplistic design alongside incredible craftsmanship. They combine traditional and modern techniques in order to achieve timeless products. Think of their production process as an ingenious combination of hand stitching and laser cutting: it's unique and represents their ideologies perfectly.

Winter Session are clearly a global brand. With Japanese & Scandinavian design inspiration, an American HQ, and now getting their name from India. In case you're wondering, the name comes from a saying they heard while travelling there: "The winter session is about to begin". Since then, 'winter session' is a phrase that's become synonymous with new beginnings, adaptation, and progress. All things that are key to keeping a new, small business successful; the proof's in the pudding after all.

"The winter session is about to begin"

As though all of this wasn't enough, something that makes them even more appealing to us here at Number Six is the fact they've remained with a small group of artisans throughout their whole lifespan. This is reflected in their undeniable quality in each accessory they produce. (Take the Roll Top backpack, it speaks for itself really.)

It's self-professed that they make things you can depend on for years, more specifically things you will want to depend on for years to come. In reality, Winter Session sum it up best with 'we make things for people who care about how things are made'.

Right now we're viewing them as a not-so-hidden gem, they're going from strength to strength and we've got a lot of time for that.